If metal articles, in particular, connecting, supporting, or conducting components for an electronic component, are to be coated on their macroscopically smooth surfaces with a substance, in particular, plastic, ceramic, or glass, adhesion promoters are electrodeposited on the macroscopically smooth surfaces of the metal articles. Dendrites form and consequently provide an interlocking bond between the metal article and the substance. These electrodeposited adhesion layers form two further boundary layers or phase transitions, i.e., a boundary layer between the smooth unchanged metal surface and the dendritic adhesion layer and a further boundary layer between the dendritic adhesion layer and the substance to be applied.
In addition, with this preparation of the metal surface, the adhesion layer is applied with the aid of a wet process, and consequently, contaminations by components of the electrolytic bath are unavoidable. Such contaminations can reduce the service life of the adhesion layers, and consequently, reduce the service life of the electronic components.
Macroscopically smooth surfaces of metal articles are understood to mean surfaces which have at least a polished quality. Metal articles with polished surfaces of this type are used, in particular, in electronic components as connecting, supporting, or conducting components, with further precious metal layers frequently being deposited on the polished surfaces in order to produce bonded connections and soldered connections on them.
By applying adhesion layers to the macroscopically smooth surface or by roughening the macroscopically smooth surfaces by mechanically or by etching means, these macroscopically smooth surfaces are transformed into rough surfaces that are partially strewn with dendrites of the adhesion promoter, grinding pits, or etching pits, respectively. The macroscopically smooth surface regions that are intended to represent contact terminal areas, bonding fingers, or other components must be protected from roughening with covering processes.
A metal article intended for at least partial connection to a substance without additional adhesion-promoting materials, to permit mechanical connecting of its surface to a further substance is desirable. At the same time, the macroscopically smooth surface of the metal article is retained. To simplify connecting macroscopically planar surfaces of metallic articles to a substance and to provide mechanically stable phase transitions is desirable.